©タカヒロ・竹村洋平/集英社・魔防隊広報部
Since author Takahiro and artist Yōhei Takamura first started publishing Chained Soldier on Shonen Jump+ in 2019, their manga has been a huge success. The story is about how humanity has recruited soldiers to use the magical power of the so-called “Peach” to fight the destructive Shuuki, monsters from the mysterious dimension of Mato. The main character, Yuuki Wakura, finds himself a willing “slave” of Kyouka Uzen, the commander of Team 07 of the Demon Defense Force, who has the power to turn Yuuki into a powerful weapon whenever he can. Show your devotion to her with a kiss. At the beginning of this year, Studio Seven Arcs released the animated film adaptation of Chained Soldier. Ahead of their upcoming appearance at Anime Boston 2024, we sat down with producer Yuki Watanabe and lead actor Yūya Hirose, who plays Yuuki, to discuss all the work that went into making brings this unique combination of epic action and sexy comedy to the screen.
©©タカヒロ・竹村洋平/集英社・魔防隊広報部
Speaking about what made the original manga so popular in the first place, Producer Watanabe commented that “[các] The female character created by Takahiro-sensei is very unique and attractive. And the story is so clear and well-paced that you can't help but keep reading…Yōhei Takemura-sensei's drawing skills are simply outstanding. There aren't many manga creators in Japan who can draw both adorable female characters and strong and dynamic fight scenes at his level. [Sự kết hợp] Takahiro-sensei and Yōhei Takemura-sensei's creativity at such a high level is the key to why this series is so popular.” Yūya Hirose, who definitely read the manga before auditioning for the role of Yuuki, added, “I read the manga before auditioning and I think this series is full of the boys' hopes and dreams. [Các trận chiến] was also super fun and the balance between rewards, combat and story was so perfect that I read the whole thing in no time.”
©タカヒロ・竹村洋平/集英社・魔防隊広報部
The “rewards” that Hirose mentioned are a unique part of the series' appeal. While Kyouka's ability to transform Yuuki into a monster that destroys Shuuki is extremely useful, Kyouka's role as Yuuki's Master comes at the cost of her being forced to provide any potential “rewards” his consciousness desires. Naturally, all sorts of sexy shenanigans ensue, especially as the other girls in Squadron 07 learn to share Kyouka's power over Yuuki. Drawing on experience from the previous series, Producer Watanabe explained the production team was acutely aware of the importance of successfully portraying Yuuki's unique relationship with his teammates: “In my opinion, To create a hit anime, we have to portray the characters as attractive as possible, while also showing that they have different sides. We've prepared content for fans to discover new aspects of the characters, such as small comments, post-recording dialogue from the voice cast, and character songs. items, although they are only available in Japanese. I hope you will enjoy this series, including such related content.”
©タカヒロ・竹村洋平/集英社・魔防隊広報部
A lot of effort went into bringing Yuuki and the girls of Squadron 07 to life. Yūya Hirose and his co-stars also worked very hard. “In general, we can record together,” he said. “The bonus scenes may have been embarrassing, but we all had fun filming as a group.” When asked if there was any aspect of playing Yuuki that he found particularly difficult, he explained: “There were scenes where I had to scream because the prize was being trampled on. Finding the balance between pain and pleasure is difficult! But it's fun to play Yuuki, who gets toyed with and screams at!”
As Producer Watanabe hinted at earlier, the key to Chained Soldier's success lies not just in getting Yuuki and Kyouka right; The entire cast is loved by the fandom, and each girl in Squadron 07 has the potential to become a favorite. When asked if he was attached to any particular character, Watanabe said: “I like Himari. Even though she has complexes about her abilities and her family situation, she grows and matures in the face of it, and I can sympathize with that. The relationship between Kyouka and Yuuki is that of a master and her slave, but Himari and Yuuki are quite equal, almost like teammates. I like how they help each other and grow together.”
©タカヒロ・竹村洋平/集英社・魔防隊広報部
Himari's friendship with Yuuki also arose when Yūya Hirose shared that Yuuki's various transformations were his favorite: “I liked the transformation when he fought Kyouka and Himari! The wardrobe looks like a Japanese kimono, it makes him look very strong and cool!” Yuuki's appeal as a hero who is both strong and cool but also goofy and approachable was important to the team at Studio Seven Arcs. As a final message to all the fans watching Chained Soldier, Producer Watanabe said this: “We are putting more effort into the fight scenes of members of the Self-Defense Forces Demons like Kyouka and even the reward scenes. , so I hope you pay attention to them. At the same time, please follow Yuuki's growth process, [và] how he changes from an ordinary student to a hero over the course of 12 episodes.”
©タカヒロ・竹村洋平/集英社・魔防隊広報部
Both Yūya Hirose and Yuki Watanabe will appear as HIDIVE guests in two panels at Anime Boston 2024. New episodes of Chained Soldier will air every Thursday on HIDIVE.